


Clothes Make the Bee

by Beeluminati (orphan_account)



Category: The Secret World
Genre: Bees love their outfits, Bingo Cola!, Gen, Headcanon, Illuminati bureaucracy, Innsmouth Academy, Kirsten Geary is terrifying, Scorched Desert, Transylvania
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-03
Updated: 2016-06-17
Packaged: 2018-05-24 14:12:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,544
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6156184
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/Beeluminati
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Any bee worth their Pax knows that wardrobe plays a big role in the Secret World. Whether it's faction uniforms, achievement rewards, special event surprise bag goodies or items bought from strange peddlers in the Haitian market, the agents of Gaia run around in some strange and fantastic outfits. This is this story of how one quiet yet determined Illuminati agent amassed her wardrobe and the people she met along the way. </p><p>It all started with a headcanon about the Traditional Garb reward in Transylvania and just spiraled from there...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Uniform

Vee stared in confusion at Kirsten Geary's back after being suddenly dismissed. She still had so many questions about what was going on and what she was supposed to do. Everything had stopped making sense the night she had swallowed that bee and nothing was getting any clearer.

She waited awkwardly for a few moments and then gathered up her courage to ask a question. Of course Geary beat her to the punch by turning around and fixing her with a withering glare.

"What are you still doing here? You should be halfway to Solomon Island by now. Look, I can't hold your hand through all this, I have things to do and kill orders to sign. I'm sure you'll figure it out, just put on your big girl panties and get it done." She paused for a moment, remembering something. 

"Speaking of getting dressed, now that you're one of us you will have to look the part. Go down to requisitions and ask for uniform voucher, its very simple. Also, once you get your fancy blue suit, don't go around wearing it to bondage parties. Or out in the field either. You'll want to blend in with either of those settings. Still, you could probably get away with just using the gas mask at a bondage party"

Vee gave her an incredulous look. "Yes yes, there is a gas mask and it's part of the uniform. Don't ask me why, I didn't come up with it." She paused as a young woman dressed in the uniform in question hurried into the room and handed her a Starbucks cup. She took one sip, made a face of disgust, and handed it back to the woman who ran off, looking terrified.

"Like I said, I'm expecting a lot from you, so don't fuck it up or you might wind up fetching coffee. Or dead."

This time Vee left immediately, not wanting to press her luck or Geary's patience. As she wound her way down the ramps and platforms of the labyrinth, she glimpsed groups of uniformed Illuminati agents standing around but none seemed terribly approachable. As she passed by two agents, she overheard them talking about having to cash in some black bullion at requisitions and decided to follow them.

She tried to act casual and blend in, though that seemed a bit ridiculous given the circumstances. Still, the two agents didn't seem to notice Vee as they strolled down the ramps and loudly discussed something called Morninglight.

She followed them into the requisitions office, which was filled with people waiting in line. There was a long row of kiosks with white-uniformed agents sitting behind the counters and each kiosk had a sign specifying what was offered there. Some sold weapons, others talismans, still others energy drinks (Vee thought this was odd) but none of them appeared to have uniforms. Vee stood in the middle of the room, wondering which line she needed to stand in. She was about to leave when an agent wearing a gas mask approached her.

"You new?" came the muffled voice. Vee nodded. "Go down that hall and take the 2nd right to get to the uniform office" said the agent, pointing. "You need a uniform voucher first though. Go talk to a Human Resources Specialist, they are up on the top level". Vee nodded in thanks and started making her way back the way back upstairs, winding along the ramps and platforms. 

Once she got to the top, she spotted some agents with assault rifles standing around some filing cabinets. A small sign on top of one of the cabinets read "Human Resources". It was one of the strangest HR departments Vee had ever seen but she wasn't going to judge. She approached them and one of the armed HR Specialists looked her up and down. 

"Uniform voucher". It wasn't a question. Vee could only nod. He handed her a clipboard with a thick stack of paperwork on it. "Fill these forms out in triplicate and take them to the uniform office. You do know where it is?" Vee nodded again, taking the clipboard and looking at the paperwork with dread. There was nowhere to sit down so she leaned against the railing and began filling out forms.

An hour and a half later she finished the last form and waved her hand a few times to shake the writing cramps out. She had never been asked so many questions about such specific things before and wondered why the Illuminati needed to know the names of ALL of her childhood pets in order to issue her a uniform. Or her ex-boyfriend's favorite color. Or why she had to name all of the state capitals in alphabetical order. She chalked it up to more of the same weirdness.

She showed the finished paperwork to the HR Specialist who carefully removed the yellow copy from each triplicate form, a process that took a good ten minutes.

Finally, she was ready to make her way to the uniform office. She headed back down the ramps to requisitions and kept going, as she had been instructed. She turned right at the 2nd hallway and continued down it but didn't see a nameplate on any of the doors indicating a uniform shop. She continued until the hallway dead ended at an intersection so she tried going right. This hallway was identical to the last and there was still no uniform shop. In short order she was well and truly lost. Dr. Zurn had mentioned that the dimensions of the Labyrinth mimicked the cave systems used by the Mayans and she was getting worried that she would never find her way out.

She wound her way through a few more hallways but none of the cryptic nameplates on the doors indicated anything related to uniforms. She paused at an intersection, trying to get her bearings, when the humming fluorescent lights overhead all blinked off in unison.

When they came back on, a bespeckled old woman was suddenly standing in front of her. Vee jumped, not for the first time that day, and gave a startled yelp. 

"Looking for the uniform office I suppose?" said the woman in a no-nonsense manner. Vee nodded slowly.

"It's always tricky to find the first time, but you're in the right place." Vee had no idea where the right place was but sure enough, the previously empty stretch of wall now held a door with words "Uniform Shop" written over it in an elegant font.

Vee cautiously followed the old woman through the door and waited as she stepped behind the counter and began to rummage around. Vee held out the uniform voucher but the woman completed ignored it. Instead, she examined a tape measure briefly, then tossed it aside. She picked up a few fabric swatches and added them to a pile of seemingly identical fabric swatches. She jotted down a few notes on an index card with a tiny stub of a pencil. She hummed what sounded like Smells Like Teen Spirit the entire time.

As this was happening, Vee was becoming more impatient and nervous the longer she waited. The old woman finally looked up at Vee and stared at her intently for almost a minute through her round glasses. Vee could do nothing else but stare back.

The woman finally nodded and muttered "that will do" before disappearing into the back of the shop. She wasn't gone for more than 30 seconds before returning with a blue uniform on a hanger.

"Give this a try and see if it fits" she ordered, pointing to a dressing room that Vee hadn't noticed was there earlier.

Vee obediently took the uniform into the dressing room and changed into it. She was hardly surprised that it fit perfectly. She had never had the opportunity to wear clothing tailored to fit her before but this was the real deal. The material felt strange and she couldn't identify it from the texture. It was smooth but felt very durable. She felt powerful wearing this uniform, which was a completely new feeling. She struck a few superhero poses in the mirror and then stepped outside.

The old woman was waiting and paced around her, examining with a critical eye.

"Yes, that will do just nicely my dear. I think the piping along the edges came out perfectly, don't you?" she said, not waiting for Vee's reply before wandering back behind the counter. "There's one more thing you need, let me see". She tossed a heavy object in Vee's direction and Vee managed to catch it. It was a gas mask.

"This has been part of the uniform in one form or another for as long as memory serves. Our order operates with secrecy and manipulation. Intimidation as well. The mask simultaneously disguises and protects us."

Vee tried the mask on and looked in the mirror. She did look intimidating. She felt that way too. The mask gave her a boost of something she couldn't describe. The strange buzzing energy she had been living with for the past few weeks felt magnified and brightened. In that moment she understood the power of the uniform she wore. As she departed, she waved goodbye to the old woman who called after her. "Best of luck to you dear! Watch that you don't piss off Kirsten Geary, you don't want to end up working in the uniform shop!"  


She bowed her head in thanks to the old woman and returned to the dressing room. She changed back into her street clothes and placed her carefully folded uniform and gas mask into her backpack.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realized shortly after writing this that one does not actually receive the faction uniform until level three, but I liked the idea of Kirsten Geary sending a confused new agent to find a uniform in the depths of the Illuminati labyrinth so I kept the story as it is.


	2. Innsmouth Academy Hoodie

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm reordering the chapters a bit so that they are even with the story line. An image of the hoodie can be found [here](https://sephorassecretcloset.wordpress.com/2012/07/08/innsmouth-academy-hoodie/)

"Just so that you know, things are about to get kinda gross."

Carter was not kidding, Vee thought, as she activated the ward generator just in time to shield herself from the rain of hellfire that the teen managed to materialize out of thin air. The creepy familiars attacking them were reduced to a fine red mist. Vee, witnessing the destruction from within the protective bubble created by the wards, was quite impressed.

“Did you see that?!” Carter cried excitedly. “That was awesome! I mean, yeah, my powers are still pretty unstable like they said so it’s good you had your ward generator and that I didn’t pulverize you. Still, did you see what I did?” 

Vee flashed her a quick thumbs up before the next crowd of familiars decided to reanimate and descend upon them. She swung her sword around, slicing the living dolls to pieces while Carter targeted them with her destructive magic. They moved further through the basement, clearing groups of familiars as they went. Vee used the ward generator again twice as Carter unleashed her hellfire attack and she marveled at how well it held. She contemplated taking it with her to see if she could tinker with it a bit. Perhaps she could use it to repel other types of attacks, or at least fortify the small trinkets that shielded her. She still marveled that a simple wristwatch could protect her from harm and a necklace could make her attacks more potent. The buzzing energy that ran through them was eerie but comforting, just like the faint humming that ran through her veins. 

“I’ve never gone this far before, with my powers I mean,” said Carter nervously as they approached the final door in the seemingly endless network of basement corridors. “I think I like it,” she continued. Vee gave her a faint smile of understanding, as she was very much in the same boat. She was still in the process of mastering her own powers, learning as she went. While it was a slow process that came with many frustrations, each victory over a freaky nightmarish foe brought new confidence. 

Vee felt a familiar prickling sensation on the back of her neck that signaled the presence of something large and very unpleasant. It was a feeling she had become quite familiar with over the past few weeks. She signaled to Carter to be ready and kicked open the door.

She wasn’t sure what she had been expecting but it wasn’t quite that. The giant mound of flesh and sinew stretched its arms out to grasp at Vee and Carter, sending out shockwaves and summoning new herds of familiars. Vee slashed her way through the familiars while Carter focused her magical attacks on the giant Flesh Golem. Finally, she shouted a warning and Vee activated the ward generator just in time. A storm of fire rained down and the golem let out a high-pitched shriek as it slowly melted down into a puddle of red ooze. 

When the fire had died down and the last of the gore had stopped flying, Vee surveyed the surroundings and concluded that they had done well. The familiar problem had been dealt with and Carter’s impressive powers had been successfully field tested. If she were able develop some control over the hellfire attack, to keep it from damaging her allies, she would really have something amazing.

The way out of the basement was through a trap door in the ceiling and Carter led them out. Out in the daylight, it was apparent that they were both completely covered in bits of shredded familiar and pungent red ooze. Vee’s boots squelched loudly as they made their way back to the main building of the school. “I guess this probably happens to you a lot in your line of work?” asked Carter. Vee nodded, shrugging off her jacket and attempting to shake off the the slime that coated it. She was used to it at this point and this wasn’t even the grossest thing she’d encountered thus far. She shuddered at the memory of the transformed Kingsmouth townsfolk stumbling out of the sea and the rancid, rotting smell they left behind after she had dispatched them.

Once inside the school they cleared a pack of familiars out of what used to be the girl’s room and Vee hastily splashed some water on her face. She did her best to clean as much of the slime off of her as she could with some paper towels and picked the entrails off of her leather coat. She would find a safe place to clean herself off properly later, for now she just wanted to clear away the worst of the smell. 

“Oh wait, I have an idea,” Carter said with more excitement than Vee thought possible after what they had just gone through. She ran out into the hallway and started opening lockers, apparently looking for something. After a few tries she triumphantly held up an Innsmouth Academy Hoodie like the one she was wearing, minus the blood stains. She handed it to Vee who smiled gratefully and put it on. This would keep her warm in the chilly Maine air until she could get her coat clean. “Now you are unofficially an Innsmouth student, or would be if school was still in session,” Carter commented as they made their way back to the front office. “I guess if you had swallowed that bee at younger age, you would have ended up here rather than being recruited straight away,” she added, with a hint of sadness.

Vee figured she was probably right, or close to it. Carter had told her earlier about how the organizations were already in a bidding war over her and her powers. She had nothing but empathy for the teen who seemed to be holding up remarkably well in an otherwise hellish situation. Vee wondered if the recruitment timeline for her would be bumped up thanks to everything that was going on. Perhaps she would soon be seeing Carter at Illuminati HQ if she didn’t end up elsewhere.

They stopped in the breakroom where Vee hacked open the Bingo Cola machine with her sword and extracted two cans of soda. While they sipped the warm, fizzy drinks, Carter asked Vee for the story of how she got recruited and why she ended up where she did. Vee shrugged and told her how after a week of trying to get her strange new abilities under control and destroying most of her furniture, an impeccably dressed woman had arrived at her door with thick envelop sealed with fancy gold wax. The letter was hand-written on expensive paper and invited her to come to London to fulfill her destiny. Her head had still been fuzzy and she had set the letter aside as she just wanted to focus on not shattering her drinking glasses.

The next day, she happened to glance up and to her shock, saw a man hanging from his feet, pretending to be a ceiling fan. He dropped down and handed her a business card with a single phone number on it, then did a back-flip out the window. She had been terrified and spent the rest of the day double checking every possible hiding space in her apartment to make sure there were no hidden intruders. 

The day after that, a fast-talking man in a black suit and shades had shown up and started talking to her about how he worked for a very particular client that was interested in her very particular abilities. She started to tune him out until he mentioned an appointment in Brooklyn. While it would require a few subway transfers to get to from her neighborhood in Queens, it was certainly a lot closer than London and she had no idea where ceiling fan guy wanted her to go. While the business card he gave her had no address, she recognized the symbol from a photo she had recently seen on an Instagram feed of local graffiti art. She looked it up again, and sure enough, there was a stylized version of that very symbol on a nondescript building in Brooklyn. After that, it was just a matter of finding the place and getting past Dr. Zurn’s drug-induced simulation exercise. 

Carter’s eyes got big at Vee’s description of Illuminati HQ and her introduction to that world. She tried to convey how utterly terrifying Kirsten Geary was and even pulled out her phone to show some of the snark-filled texts she had received. Rather than being intimidated, Carter just laughed. Perhaps there was hope for the kid yet. 

Vee said her goodbyes to the two teachers and thanked Carter again for the hoodie. She gave her the ward generator back, though she had been tempted to keep it. She figured they would need to run a few more tests with it. With her new sweatshirt on and a dozen cans of Bingo Cola in her backpack, Vee made her way back to the old block of the campus, in search of the Illuminati archives and clues to what Beaumont was up to.


	3. Atenist Garb

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, I'm reordering the chapters so that they make sense in the game storyline. After this, there should be no more shenanigans. An image of the Atenist Garb can be found [here](https://sephorassecretcloset.wordpress.com/2012/07/14/atenist-garb/)

Vee let out the breath she didn’t realize she had been holding as the man - or whatever he was - walked away. She had no idea whose side he was on but had the feeling she would be seeing him again soon enough. She stepped back into the alleyway and pulled off the robe and headwrap she had taken from the woman she had killed not an hour ago. She rolled them up and shoved them into her backpack, not wanting to look at or touch them. She wanted to burn them but wasn’t sure if she would need use them again. The thought of having to wear them again made her feel slightly ill. 

She knew that she had to make her way to the Marya camp in the desert but wanted to take a few moments first. She needed to process everything she had just experienced as well as send a status report to Kirsten Geary. She sighed, knowing how much this latest news would rile up her handler. Or possibly not, she could never predict how the terrifying blonde would react to anything. For all she knew, the team at HQ were already up to date on this nameless power the man in the fedora said even the “living weapons” would fear. Vee cringed at the title, and at the fact that said power was apparently in the hands of the crazed Aten worshipers.

She made her way to Zhara’s cafe near the Venetian base of operations. The kind woman handed her a plate of cakes and a mug of tea. Vee reached for her wallet but Zhara waved her off, saying her money was no good. Instead, she handed Vee a letter to give to her sister, which would be easy enough to do. 

She sat down at a table, ignoring the stern-faced mercenary sitting in the corner, and took a sip of the sweet tea that tasted faintly of mint leaves. It had been quite some time since she had consumed anything simply for enjoyment. Everything she ate these days was for fuel alone, usually gulped down in a rush between battles. In her old life she enjoyed cooking and trying out new foods - New York City being the perfect place for a budding foodie. Even now, she recognized the sweets on the plate from her favorite middle eastern bakery back in Queens - the baklava and basbousa.

Vee glanced down at her backpack which still held the Atenist robes and fought back a shudder. She wasn’t really sure what it was about this place or this new enemy had her so on edge. She had battled some unspeakably terrifying creatures back on Solomon Island and while she had been frightened at first, she eventually got used to it. Even the Wendigos with their twisted bodies and many legs hadn’t shaken her much. In fact, when she had first been been dropped in Kingsmouth and had to battle zombies from the get-go, it had all seemed so surreal that she had nearly laughed. She felt like the star of a very strange action-horror movie. The part about not dying made it even more fiction-like.

Perhaps that was the reason, she decided, taking a small bite of baklava and letting the sweetness of the honey spread across her tongue. Things had suddenly gotten very real here in Egypt. She was no longer fighting the undead or golems or creatures from stories, she was fighting actual people. People who had been somehow driven mad with the desire to do Aten’s bidding and attack her on sight, but still human beings. The woman she had killed to get those robes had bled out like any normal person would and that was what truly terrified her. She was no longer fighting to save survivors on an island filled with monsters, she was a living weapon, wielded by the Iluminati and fighting in their name. No better than the cultists, she mused.

She looked up as she sensed someone approaching her. It was Zhara, who had a troubled look on her face. Vee thanked her again for the tea and cakes and the cafe owner waved her off once more, saying that she stayed in the city so that she could do this for her friends who remained. It made Vee feel strangely warm to think that Zhara considered her to be a friend. 

Zhara then told her of the shortage of fruit due to an infestation of “living oil” around the date farms. This sent chills up Vee’s spine as she remembered seeing something that matched this description in the more deeply infested parts of Solomon Island. Areas so toxic and overrun that she dared not enter. If this substance was here in Egypt…

“The Atenists and their slaves are pulling the oil from the ground, out of the plants and fruits. They are making others feed on it, turning them into monsters. Not just mindless slaves like the cultists but real monsters”. Zhara went on to say that she and the people of the city wanted their land and people back. As well as the dates, which Vee understood completely. When so little remained of the life they knew, they mourned even these small losses. 

The mention of monsters sparked Vee’s interest. This was familiar ground, something that made sense to her, as crazy as it sounded. The mindless fury of the worshipers having a focus, a darker purpose also grounded her. Perhaps they were as changed as the zombies and walking sea creatures she had fought on Solomon Island. They were no longer human but something other in mind and soul, and perhaps soon in body. It wasn’t much but she took some comfort in this.

Vee nodded to Zhara in promise that she would help. She knew that she had to meet with the Marya fighters in the desert but there was still time to find out what the Atenists were doing at the date farms first. Kirsten might not even be mad at the detour if she could send along a sample of this “living oil”. 

She took another bite of baklava, relishing the flavor and sweetness of the honey. It seemed to energize her, which made sense. She drank some more tea and stared off into space until a sudden movement caught her eye. It was a bee, flying around her head twice before landing on the table in front of her. She stared down at the bee, which didn’t move from its spot. She wondered if this was a coincidence or some sign from Gaia to get back to work. It didn’t matter either way, she was going to enjoy her break first. 

Once she had eaten the last flakey morsel and finished the last sip of tea, Vee got up and the bee followed her.


	4. Traditional Garb

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have reordered the chapters to make sense with the story line. An image of the shirt can be found [here](https://sephorassecretcloset.wordpress.com/2012/07/18/traditional-garb/)

Vee felt the familiar yet still unnerving feeling of her body being reassembled, particle by particle. She had inadvertently stumbled across the path of a particularly nasty werewolf by Hollander's Mill and had taken a deep bite to the throat along with some sweeping claw wounds to the chest. She cursed herself for not paying attention to her surroundings. Constant vigilance was still her number one rule, even after months on the job.

The pain didn't quite register as pain, it never really did anymore.

She checked her weapons for damage first and was pleased to see that her assault rifle was no worse for wear. The tiny doll that hung from her hip to magnify her elemental magic looked burnt at the edges, the yarn hair singed and button eyes slightly melted. She had seen it in a much worse state and figured it didn't need repair quite yet. Her shirt was another story.

The swipes from the werewolf's claw had completely shredded the T-shirt she had been wearing and her coat hadn't come through unscathed either. The long coat of black leather was her single favorite item of clothing. It had cost the earnings from her first week of missions in Kingsmouth but had been worth the Pax. Now it sported several deep gashes down the front. She traveled very lightly on assignment, usually carrying nothing but the clothes on her back, weapons, protective talismans, and however many Dante's tacos she could stuff into her pockets. She was nearly finished in Harbabureşti and would have to make her way to the gypsy camp further into Transylvania soon. She didn't have time to run through Agartha back home to New York for spare change of clothes.

Vee sighed and headed into the Owl and Eagle. She spared a few glances at the small trinkets she carried with her on her wrists, neck and pockets and was comforted to see that they still held their faint glow. At least she wasn't completely unprotected. The Forest God was still on his bar stool, staring morosely into a mug of ale while Sophie raised a hand in greeting.

"Hello again Miss Vee! Come in and rest, I have been hearing stories of how you have been helping all around Harbabureşti. Petru says you have rallied the Blajini out of hiding and I heard something about a haunted windmill and many werewolves...oh dear". She finally noticed the state of Vee's attire. "I see you have indeed met the werewolves. I am glad that you are tougher than your clothing."

Vee shrugged, feeling weary and sat down on the barstool next to Cern. Sophie put a glass of something in front of her that she drank down quickly, knowing from past experience that it would restore her anima. It tasted like nothing she could begin to describe and left her coughing but she soon felt significantly better. With her body no longer on the verge of disintegration, she turned her mind to the problem of her attire.

The gashes in her coat could probably be ignored. They might even make her look tough, though the thought struck her as ludicrous, considering she was effectively immortal and toughness was relative at this point. Her shirt was nothing but shreds and completely unsalvageable. She could probably continue onward with her coat fastened up completely, but it wouldn't be ideal.

"Do you not have anything else to change into?" Sophie asked. Vee shook her head, feeling sheepish. She really should learn to be better prepared, especially considering the length of time she’d been spending in the field. By random chance she had picked up various articles of clothing to supplement her limited wardrobe throughout her journeys in Solomon Island and Egypt. She had just assumed that the same would happen in Transylvania but thus far it had not.

Sophie leveled an appraising look at Vee. "I think you may be a little shorter than me and perhaps lacking a bit in the bosoms, I'm sure Cern would say something more flattering." The horned god mumbled something about the litheness of a willow tree into his ale.

"Anyway, I think I have something that will fit you if would like it." Vee nodded appreciatively and followed Sophie upstairs, past the guest rooms and up another flight of stairs to an attic storage room. Sophie yanked the pull chain to turn on the single bulb hanging overhead and the light revealed a sea of wooden trunks and cardboard boxes.

"Let me see, I believe it is over here" Sophie muttered as she lifted the lid off of a trunk decorated with brightly painted flowers. Inside was a neat stack of folded linens, smelling faintly of dried roses. Vee wondered if the flowers were stored with clothes to keep them fresh, and this thought made her feel faintly nostalgic. Sophie lifted the first item off the stack and held it up for Vee to look at.

It was a white, long-sleeved blouse with ruffles and pleats. It was similar to the one that Sophie was wearing, except that it was decorated with embroidered red flowers and a red bow at the neck. It was beautiful, but unlike anything Vee usually wore, as she usually preferred utilitarian attire. Sophie was correct though, it was indeed her size.

"I wore this at our village festival when I was seventeen, which seems a lifetime ago. Not just a lifetime, another world, you know?" Vee knew exactly what she meant. "My grandmother made this for me, she made a lot of my clothes. And the thing is, nothing she made ever seemed to get dirty or tear or lose a button. We never said anything but we all knew that she had some of the same magic that ran through everything here. The same magic that you have. So it is only fitting that you wear this shirt and maybe it will hold up better against werewolves than your last one."

Vee felt tears prickle in her eyes and hugged Sophie. She hadn't experienced many moments of kindness since she had fallen into this strange, dark conflict and this gesture meant a great deal to her.

"Why don't you stay in room four for the night, there is no one there now. You could use some rest, you have been working nonstop for weeks." Vee felt overwhelmed with gratitude and was about to say so when Sophie quieted her "We should be the ones thanking you. You have healed this village and protected our people. You might work for those people in the city you come from but you are a true servant of Gaia. Now rest!"

Vee knew Kristen Geary wouldn't be too happy about her taking time off from the mission, but at this point she didn't really care. She had actually encountered beings that were more frightening than Geary and survived. Still, she kept on eye on her phone for messages. She slept like the dead, which might be what she was, she wasn't really sure.

The next morning, Vee changed into her new shirt and felt a strange feeling of comfort, perhaps some of the lingering magic woven in by Sophie's seamstress grandmother. She slipped a few vials of elixir into the pockets of her coat, knowing they would come in handy later, and waved goodbye to Sophie and the morose Horned god.

As she stepped out onto the road away from Harbabureşti and approached werewolf territory, Vee raised both of her hands, ready for battle and daring them to do their worst.


End file.
